UK troops set for Basra handover

UK troops set for Basra handover

Iraqi troops will have to control insurgents

British troops are preparing to transfer control of Basra province to the Iraqi authorities four-and-a-half years after the invasion.

The handover, which is expected within hours, will mark a significant milestone towards Britain's final withdrawal from southern Iraq.

It comes three months after the British military pulled out from the city of Basra itself to their airport base.

Iraqi troops will now be responsible for controlling insurgents in the area.

Police concerns

BBC correspondent Andrew North said the plan was for British troops to take a backseat role.

He said they would only get involved in combat if they themselves were attacked or if Iraqi commanders called for support.

The 4,500 British troops still in Iraq will now focus on training Iraqi forces. UK troop numbers are set to be reduced to 2,500 from the spring.

British troops left their Basra city base in September

Our correspondent said despite question marks over Iraqi security forces, especially the police, British commanders believed it was best for Iraqi forces to take the lead.

Basra is the ninth of Iraq's 18 provinces to resume responsibility for its own security and the fourth to be handed over by British forces after Muthanna, Najaf and Dhi Qar.

In a poll of 1,000 Basra residents for BBC Newsnight, more than 85% said they believed British troops have had a negative effect on the Iraqi province since 2003.

But two-thirds thought security would improve following the handover.

Earlier, the UK's Maj Mike Shearer said: "I am absolutely confident...that the Iraqi security forces here in Basra are ready to take on responsibility for policing their own streets."

Prime Minister Gordon Brown, who visited British troops in Iraq last weekend, said Iraq now had a democratic government and that violence was down 90% in recent months.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7146507.stm